***WARNING: this article contains very graphic material that is not intended to be viewed by children. Some adults may be offended by it, as well. Viewer discretion is advised.***

It is often said that a "Plastibell" circumcision is painless and doesn't involve any cutting or blood. Many people say that it is a more "gentle" circumcision without any risks. All of these statements are false. No circumcision is painless. The foreskin contains thousands of concentrated, specialized nerve endings. It is the most sensitive part of the penis. Any cutting on this part of the body is extremely painful, even with anesthetic (which will never provide 100% pain relief).

All circumcisions involve cutting, tearing and blood (even Plastibell methods). From birth, the foreskin is fused to the head of the penis (like a fingernail is fused to a finger). Before any circumcision begins, the foreskin must be ripped away from the glans. With a Plastibell circumcision, typically the foreskin is slit down the top to allow the insertion of the Plastibell. When in place, a string is tightly tied to necrotize the foreskin. After everything is secured, the excess skin is removed with scalpel or scissors.

The Plastibell procedure also has many dangers. It is not "safer" or "without risk". In fact, there are studies surrounding the complications of this method. Below are some photos involving just a few complications from Plastibell circumcisions:

(WARNING: these photos are very graphic and not intended to be viewed by children. Some adults may be offended by them. Viewer discretion is advised.)

(Above) Plastibell ring which has migrated proximally onto the penile shaft 8 days after circumcision. Patient experienced extensive skin loss over penile shaft. Read more about this story here.

Partial necrosis of glans penis seen on 13th day post-circumcision with Plastibell device.

Post-Plastibell separation and bleeding from a too-small fit that caused tissue strangulation and necrosis.

We present the case of a 4-year-old boy who, shortly after a Plastibell circumcision, with the ring still in situ, experienced trauma to his glans, resulting in complete amputation. The second photo shows removal of dressing 7 days post injury. Read more about this story here.

Retained Plastibell ring from the University of Florida Pediatrics

(Above) A term, 10-day-old infant was brought to the hospital for evaluation of tenderness and swelling involving his penis, scrotum, and lower abdomen 2 days after he had undergone Plastibell circumcision. He was diagnosed with Necrotizing Fasciitis. Read more about this story here.

A 2.6-kg male infant was born by normal vaginal delivery after 39 weeks gestation. He was circumcised without incident by the Plastibell technique at age 3 days. Two days later, his mother noticed slight penile swelling and a small amount of blood and pus on the diapers. Later in the day, the penis and scrotum turned black-purple in color. The Plastibell was removed at another hospital and he was transferred to our institution. Read more about this story here.

MEDICAL JOURNAL: Twenty-three injuries resulting from circumcision with the Plastibell device all occurred from prolonged retention of the ring. In each case, the ring was retained and had migrated proximally. There was extensive skin loss in 17 (74%) babies. Urethrocutaneous fistulae were the result in nine (39%) of these cases, while partial necrosis of the glans penis occurred in four (17%).

As you can see, the Plastibell procedure is not painless. It's not safer than other circumcision methods. It's not without its own unique set of risks and complications. All methods of circumcision have risks. All methods of circumcision remove a normal, healthy part of the male genitalia. To learn more about circumcision, please click here.

To think that these few grotesque images are probably representative of many that will never never be released into the public domain, is truly appalling. How many other grizzly disfigurements have been inflicted on defenceless infant boys that we will never see? What sort of a warped world do we live in that can freely permit the continuing mutilation of infant boys for no sound medical reason?

Circumcision is harmful in every case. This documents some of the catastrophic things that can go wrong with just one method of circumcision. Other methods also go wrong. What risk is acceptable for a child who has no disease and gives no consent?

These pictures obviously incite emotion and heartache, and all of this is completely preventable. If the parents of these poor babies had known, if someone had actually gotten INFORMED CONSENT, would they have done it anyway? How could anyone see these pictures and proceed with circumcision?

Lars

8/17/2012 02:50:17 am

I have read a lot on circumcision over the years (and I mean a lot), but I read this article in a complete state of horror, mostly with my hand over my gaping mouth. Then, after the horror passed, I broke down and cried. We are doing this to our children. Our healthy, happy, innocent children. And for what? So they can fit some kind of bizarre societal norm? I used to think circumcision was a good, healthy normal practice. But who can read this and witness these atrocities and still think that? Although it was painful to get through, I thank you for posting this information. I truly hope it does some child some good out there. If even one parent reads this and decides to leave their child whole, it will have been worth it!

Jill Burns, RN

2/9/2013 06:24:47 am

I agree completely. Purely barbaric and money driven. I was appalled at these pictures. Not worth the risk.

ANILKUMAR

9/7/2013 09:57:14 pm

buddy, just speak out. find expecting parents, tell them circumcision is unecessary. if you can prevent one, you are qualified for entry to paradise. two, you are sure. I prevented eight already.

Patty Dewhurst

8/17/2012 12:14:37 pm

I was never for circumcision. I am so glad that my husband was ok with me not having our sons circumcised. I couldn't bare to have been the reason for them to suffer any pain. I saw a video when they were young or a baby boy being circumcised ( just with scissors it was) and that just solidified my resolve and belief that I had done the right thing. They are now 25 and 22 years old. They have never had any issues with not being circumcised and it has done them no harm to NOT be the same as their father!

E.C.Mama

9/9/2012 02:12:56 pm

the pictures say it all. There is no reason good enough to do this to perfectly healthy children.

Lymari Silva

12/5/2012 02:54:05 am

Anonymous

12/9/2012 01:43:26 pm

Hi, I did the Test comment above before writing a big comment.

Like Lars, I have studied circumcision for years, so here are my comments:

In the English-speaking world, circumcision is perpetuated by two things:

1. Jews. During the Nazi times and the holocaust some Jewish males may have denied being Jewish. Since non-Jewish German males were not circumcised, it was easy for the Nazis to check men and if they were circumcised and they had further documentation, they would conclude they had found a Jewish male and put him in a camp. After the holocaust, Jewish doctors in the U.S. decided that rather than stop circumcision among Jews, they would forcefully promote circumcisions among all American non-Jews so that the Jews would blend in and not have the risk of being rounded up again like they were rounded up by the Nazis. Through seniority and teaching in medical schools, Jewish doctors were able to forcefully spread circumcision in the U.S. after WWII, with the result being that all doctors and nurses thought it was standard practice.

2. Mothers. Women are told by magazines and TV that the foreskin does not look sexually attractive. They are also told by doctors and nurses that circumcision is standard practice and that it provides meaningful protection against sexual diseases. Finally, once circumcision had been going on for a couple generations, they also saw that their family members and husbands were circumcised. All of that taken together, when a woman has a baby son, she is strongly in favor of having him circumcised.

If you want to end circumcision in the English-speaking world, you have to break down both of those two trends.

Heather

12/12/2012 02:12:55 am

I disagree to some extent about your comment on mothers. In my experience, it is actually the fathers who are promoting it to justify and perpetuate what happened to them. In many cases, I have been able to convince expecting mothers that circumcision is painful and unnecessary, only to have their circumcised husbands insist on it for "matching" or to "avoid teasing in the locker room". I think that circumcised men have a powerful need to deny that harm has come to them. My mother and mother-in-law have changed their minds on circumcision while the fathers still think it is crazy not to circumcise. And I was also much more easily swayed to leave our sons intact than my husband. I think more men need to talk about circumcision harms and the benefits of foreskin.

Really/ this again...

8/14/2013 03:42:09 am

I hate the locker room argument. For one reason, it's complete bull crap.

Boys will not comment on another boys genitalia. It's something that simply will not happen. Because, the abuse that boy would, or could, receive for looking at another boys junk is always far worse and more brutal than any comment that could be made about said penis.

Really/ this again...

8/14/2013 04:08:18 am

It's not PC but, it is true.

P A Mamattah

3/27/2013 07:05:12 am

Am horrified by those images after having sent my four weeks old twin boys for the riñg circumcision today. Infact, after hearing them cry continually through the procedure since they were not anaesthesized and their continuous screams when we got home am resolved that circumcision is nothing but Barbaric attack on innocent boys which is not different from FGM. All out there please pray with me for my sons to go through this successfully.

Dear mom,
I'm so sorry that your babies ended up being circumcised. I'm so sorry that you didn't see this 10 minutes before they came and took them away. Please, educate yourself. Your boys are a minority now and one day they will want to know. Don't be 'that' parent, the one that says I did what I wanted to your body. Be the parent that says, I didn't know better. Now I know better. Be the parent who keeps the rest of your babies whole. Don't kill yourself with guilt over this. Just know that they may have questions later.
Thoughts, prayers, light and love.

V

5/14/2013 11:36:27 pm

Did you really use a very passive aggressive tone to attack this new mother that was obviously having a tough time? Yeah you seem really reliable

bianca

9/24/2013 07:22:43 pm

What was bad about that response? I thought it was very nice and hreat

Taking away the foreskin,takes away the sensitivity of the penis in my thinking.Washing daily takes care of any negatives..

Kevin Elks

5/3/2013 10:26:23 pm

Circumcision of anyone under the age of consent is sexual abuse occasioning actual bodily harm. It is a criminal assault of the child and of the adult that child will become (if he survives).

Assault and bodily harm if for any other crime than 'circumcision' it would be prosecuted in a criminal court and the fact that the law is not prosecuted is ONLY because money is made from it and Jews/Muslims take president above the law. The fact that deaths do occur as a result of the practice (two in recent years come to mind here in the UK) means that the practice is 'Grievous bodily harm' by definition as is wounding.

In the UK it is against the law to give a child a tatoo and ear peircing is considered an injury, animals are protected against it under statutory instrument and the criminal satute of the FGM Act 2003 still to date has NO prosecutions to its name in spite of some 7,000 at risk of FGM.

This barbaric practice on either boy or girl is unlawful and its lack of prosecution is only due to the human filth that protect the crimes and fail to take action.

Sexual discrimination in the UK is also against the law so the terms of the FGM act should be applied to males or the FGM Act is void. Unless there is a defence of urgent medical need where there are no conservative alternatives (rare) there is no conclusion other than to prosecute.

Kevin Elks, Dover, Kent CT16 3DJ [England]

DB

5/8/2013 04:34:14 am

This is horrifying. I am effing speechless. It's so sad that these parents didn't see the danger of circumcision until it was too late, all at the expense of their sons... Sadly, these horror stories NEED to be posted and viewed by the public - cause anyone who believes circumcision is harmless needs a good smack in the face. Hopefully this will convince someone out there.

Jennifer Curtis

6/23/2013 11:06:57 pm

Actually there is little difference between FGM and MGM. If you knew what was taken from you, you might be a little less blase about it. Anyways, as to Kim, comparing an adult person getting a piercing to a baby getting forcibly circumcised.
http://www.circumstitions.com/FGMvsMGM.html

Lindsay

6/24/2013 10:10:46 am

Are you seriously trying to justify and excuse those photos Dan?! Circumcision is abhorent! It is genital mutilation. Plain and simple. It should be illegal. I am SO glad I live in the UK, where it isn't done routinely; I am thankful that I wasn't encouraged to do it to my son! My sympathy and love go to those who have been damaged by this procedure, and to those who are only now becoming aware of the damage it could have caused.

Kim

6/25/2013 08:02:18 pm

What about my comments?
Deleting my comments without offering explanation just goes on to show that this a hate circumcision site, like those others.

Initially I thought this is a site wanting the truth about circumcision. That was why I provided those links and how to google for more information.
Hey, guess what? When I post some URL to news about harms and deaths due to body modifications, they were quickly deleted.

Why you hate circumcision so much? Let those who want circumcision alone. There are other more serious harm and deaths than mere circumcision.

We are not against circumcision. If a man wants to cosmetically alter his genitals, then he has every right to do that to his own body. Just like tattoos and piercings. He will assess the risks. He will understand what is happening. Most of all, he can give his own consent.

The links were brought up were pointless and off-topic You were also giving false information and trying to mislead people. It doesn't matter if there are millions of people who die from body modifications such as tattoos. They are adults- they realize the risk- they make the decision for THEMSELVES. That is the big difference here.

With infant circumcision, you are FORCING a medically unnecessary procedure on an infant who cannot give consent for his own body. You are basing this procedure off of what you "think he might like" later in life. We advocate that circumcision should not be performed until he gives his own consent a an adult. Just like tattoos.

There are over 117 babies who die from circumcision EACH YEAR in the United States. Way more dangerous than the links your provided. Way more invasive. And they are all done by professionals. It doesn't matter how well you are "trained"- every penis and child is different. There's not dotted line on the penis that says "cut here". Most often, too much skin is removed and leads to many sexual issues later in life.

Let him choose for himself. Period.

Anonymous11

8/12/2013 11:21:47 pm

Wow! Not wanting to drag in another controversial topic here, but i couldn't help but think about the INNOCENT babies. You know...the ones that don't get to choose for themselves! In this particular forum, you may be speaking to parents of children that are born with a penis, but I'm so pulled in another direction when I read all the comments here. We are more than willing to stand up for the rights of the infant to protect his penis, the fight against parents thinking they have the authority to alter a part of their child...but dare I say, we still struggle with who's rights are being squashed with the abortion issue. Really? Parents are not capable of choosing a penile surgery for their child that they may deem in their child's best interest (by matter of opinion), but they are most certainly capable of murdering their child if (in their opinion) he/she may not have a good life due to poverty, being unplanned or unwanted, genetic issues, etc.

Anonymous11

8/13/2013 10:49:38 pm

That last sentence should have ended with a question mark! My mind is just blown. For the record, I know and love many parents who have differing views on the topic of circumcision. I am not here to cast judgment.

Jai

8/8/2013 11:47:17 pm

Most parents are under the belief that circumcision is a "snip." I doubt many even know the options, which are electrocautery, clamp, or plastibell. Electrocautery burns the foreskin off, the clamp crushes it off, and plastibell makes it rot off. How do you choose the "best" method?

Lauren

8/12/2013 10:43:18 am

I have done a lot of research too late. I circ'd my baby without wanting to because daddy said we needed to. I trusted my fiance and mother in law who said it was not painful. I just regret not doing my research. My stomach turns each time I think of him in pain. They kept him for 5 hrs after. He could not keep his temp. up. Clearly it was very traumatic for my sweet baby. I guess it makes since to lie to my son about it my whole life so that he doesn't feel insecure. I don't know what to do. I am very bothered.. this will haunt me forever.

Jennifer Curtis

8/12/2013 10:49:05 am

Lauren, please contact me and I can connect you to other mothers who regret their decision. You can find me on facebook or email jenchevy at gmail dot com

Jaime Gregory

8/14/2013 07:32:31 am

Lauren, I too regret doing this to my 3 boys. I should have done my research and got the facts straight. It's a was a choice that I made based upon misinformation. Given the choice today my boys would have been intact. With my third I really became aware that it was wrong but I didn't want my other children to be upset that they were circumcised and he wasn't. It's a choice I hold myself accountable for and will forever regret. My three wonderful boys, Mom is forever sorry.

Kim

8/14/2013 07:43:08 am

Over 30 years ago, I had my first child and son circumcised because of societal pressures. I believed that it was a relatively easy and painless procedure. After hearing my son's screams and attending to his wound in the weeks following the procedure, I was determined never to do it again. After having three girls, I had another son who remains uncut to this day. His penis, his choice. There has never been the slightest bit of teasing, only curiosity, from his brother and friends when younger. I was appalled at the barbarism. How on earth we continue to rail against FGM while cutting our son's penis' remains a mystery to me.

if only I had known how painful it is, and chances it can go wrong, I never would have agreed to it.

Concerned surgeon

9/18/2013 09:05:07 pm

The clinical practice of the doctor who performed the plastibell circumcision in the attached video should be thorroughly investigated. it was very clear from the video that the infant being circumcised did not have an form of anesthetic as he cried verytime his penis was handled or cut. this is barbaric. Using local nerve block or simply aplying EMLA anesthetic cream 2 hours before the procedure would have provided adequate analgesia amd anesthesia. I would like the name of the doctor so I can all him. Could someone kindly post his details please. Thanks

Intactivist Crunchymom

9/18/2013 09:45:05 pm

Hi,
You are aware that only 20% of all circumcisions are performed with anesthetic? It is not required because doctors have convinced themselves that babies don't have pain receptors before 8 days of life. They have also established that anesthesia is dangerous and therefore sugar water on a pacifier is much more safe.
http://www.circinfo.net/anesthesia.html